ROGUE VALLEY BEE SEASON. Sarah Red-Laird

Transcription

1 ROGUE VALLEY BEE SEASON Sarah Red-Laird

2 Beekeeping is Local What are Your Beekeeping Goals? There is no Beekeeping Calendar

3 EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT Time to bring your hives out of winter First inspection: warm, sunny, dry, calm winds. Start at the top, work to the bottom: scrape lid, burr comb, inspect frames, clean bottom board. Mite roll! Feed (2:1) / pollen? Reverse boxes? New foundation? Requeen? Split? Amend weaker hives w/ stronger ones? (swarm management) Watch out for wax moths! Be aware of inclement weather // starvation

4 EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT What is your Varroa strategy? Denial and neglect are not good management strategies. Why have a strategy to control mites/pathogens? Honey production Queen longevity Ability to over winter Bees are animals Be good bee neighbors

5 SPRING MANAGEMENT Be Ready for the Nectar Flow Population and activity summer solstice. Inspections focus on queen right colonies. Continue to monitor mites, think about honey flow. Continued swarm management (know the difference with your queen cells) Super when: the bees lose interest in syrup, the bees have zero robbing tendencies, and you see a new film of white wax. Bees need water, too!

6 SPRING MANAGEMENT ~ SWARMING Free Bees! A swarm caught in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm caught June is worth a silver spoon; and a swarm caught in July ain't worth a fly. Bee prepared! Swarm traps, Swarm box/kit in your car (box/bucket, drawn comb, honey frame, smoker, sugar water spritz, clippers) Don t leave your foragers!

7 SPRING MANAGEMENT ~ SWARMING

8 SWARM CELLS

9 SUPERCEDURE CELLS

10 SUMMER MANAGEMENT Nectar Dearth // Honey Harvest Dearth was EARLY last year! Pull supers off colonies that aren t producing ~ consolidate. Keep an eye out for laying workers. If you have full supers, time, and good moisture content spin and replace don t give new foundation. Alternative to spinning cut comb. End of the month, robbing will start. Work fast, early, late, bring a wet sheet.

11 SUMMER MANAGEMENT Time to get ready for winter!! Pull honey supers, feed (2:1) if no nectar flow. Extract and bottle asap (moisture, moths, crystalizing) Do a mite roll ~ look for issues on adult bees and in brood cells. Mix up your mite treatment from the spring. Winter in two deeps ~ encourage bees to have 60 pounds of honey going into the winter. WATER!!!! (drip hose, bird bath, kiddie pool)

12 FALL MANAGEMENT Continue winter preparations Feed (2:1) if not heavy enough. Once temps drop to freezing hands off! Make sure hives have good ventilation cold doesn t kills bees, wet does. An ideal winter yard is protected from wind and pockets of cold air, and exposed to the sun. Face hive entrances towards the sun and away from prevailing wind. Tilt hives so water drains away from the entrances. Go to the BEEKEEPERS BALL!!! (date tbt)

13 WINTER MANAGEMENT Winter Management Heft hives // If you feed ~ make sure honey is above the cluster Emergency feed ~ make candy! Do you have the right kind of bees for our winter? To wrap or not to wrap? VENT!! Sawdust // Drivert Keep thinking about mites // sticky boards (25 mites) // oxalic acid Build frames, hives, etc.

14 WINTER MANAGEMENT Ingredients 3 oz - pear brandy 1 tablespoon - Buckwheat honey 3/4 pint glass - hot citrus-spiced tea, or other brewed tea 1 - orange slice Winter Warmers Enjoy tea with your honey! Make hot buttered rum and hot toddys with your honey! Make candles for your friends, family, and neighbors. Catch up on your bee magazines, read a bee book. Attend the ABF conference. Place your orders for nucs and queens.

15 THE NEW YEAR Bees start getting ready for summer at winter solstice Take a warm day, do a mite roll! Be careful not to feed pollen sub too early and exhaust winter stores. Be careful not to put on syrup too early and chill the bees! Make bee candy Nosema?

16 LOVE YOUR BEES!

17 TAKE AWAYS There is no failsafe bee calendar What is your Varroa strategy? Denial and neglect are not good management strategies. Strong, well-nourished, low stressed hives. Don t be part of the problem wash your hands and clean your equipment Monitor for Varroa all season have a plan Throw out suspect brood frames (a new frame is about $3) Re-queen (especially with hygienic) If you are not sure what you are dealing with-ask an expert Mentor, Extension, USDA lab Strong, healthy hives

18 Not Tired of Bee Learnin? Spring Beehive Management: May 12 th and 13 th, Apiary Day 16 th

19 THANK YOU QUESTIONS?